It’s October. Time for a little horror.

It’s October 1st which means that if you’re reading this you survived September, a month that historically wants to eat people.

October is my favorite month because I love horror…books and movies. It seems counterintuitive since I have an anxiety disorder but with horror I can exercise my nervous energy with things that are mostly unlikely to happen to me as long as the zombie apocalypse doesn’t actually break out.

This month I’m going to try to watch a horror movie every day of October so that means I need suggestions.

The remake of Dawn of the Dead, with the fast zombies. I know, that’s cheating in the zombieverse. But that turned the genre on its ear, and imo this is one of the scariest movies I’ve seen. So scary that I’ll never watch it again.

House of the Devil, It Follows. I loved Hereditary but that one seems to be hit or miss for some people. Also can’t go wrong with Alien/Aliens or The Descent. Though watching both Alien and Descent could make you claustrophobic for a good stretch.

Some that I am making sure to watch this month are: The House of the Devil, Trick r Treat, The Ritual, Creep and Creep 2, Grave Encounters, Gremlins, Zombieland, Nightmare on Elm Street, Shaun of the Dead, Pans Labryinth, Halloween, Evil Dead, Silver Bullet

I don’t remember whether or not I liked it, because I don’t think I watched more than a corner of the screen from behind the safety of the neck of my sweater. And that is why it was the last horror movie I ever paid to “see” in a theater. Can’t handle them!

I’m going to suggest The Cabin In The Woods, which is scary in a couple of unexpected ways, and 2 new movies just out: one’s called Greta, with Chloe Moretz, and the other is called Mandy with Nicholas Cage–it looks pretty bizarre!

I haven’t seen Children of The Corn, Paranormal Activity, or The Cabin in The Woods (mmm, Chris Hemsworth!) in the comments yet. I second Tucker And Dale Vs. Evil. Both T&DVE and Cabin IN The Woods are great twists on the horror genre.

My husband enjoyed Sinister so much that he watched in a second time within a couple weeks of the first viewing. I opt out of horror movies, as they tend to crank my anxiety up to an uncomfortable level.

I haven’t been watching too many horror movies lately because I feel like these days all they do is make slasher films, which I’m not interested in at all. What’s the point if everyone just ends up dead at the end? I already know what’s going to happen, so why watch?

If psychological thrillers count, I love Shutter Island.

And for tv shows, I just started watching iZombie, and I absolutely love it! It’s the perfect fall/Halloween tv show.

mother! and Hereditary are creepy AF, but Hereditary isn’t on anything streaming. If you’re afraid of spiders like I am, because a tarantula scuttled across my bare foot when I was 13, watch Arachnophobia, which I believe just came back to Netflix.

If you wanna get hung up on a series, amc’s “preacher” is a go to on my list…and not surprised that horror flicks are okay for you. Its all about controlled circumstances. I get nervous too when anything is not under trusted control. Its a great survival mechanism…

30 Days of Night — a truly GOOD vampire flick. Scary, ugly, definitely NOT romantic vampires. And a love story with a nice ending. The way Danny Huston says the line “No. God.” is everything. Plus, Josh Hartnett. What’s not to love.

I never fully recovered from the constant stream of 70’s & 80’s horror movies I was forced to endure as a child. I still remember going to the drive-in for Halloween, Friday the 13th and Carrie. My least favorite was the Exorcist. There was plenty more like Poltergeist, Nightmare on Elm St, Chucky, Christine, Cujo, Pet Semetary, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Disney cartoon, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Hitchhiker, The Shining, The Omen, Amityville Horror and the ever so lovely Night Stalker and Death Wish series.

Wow. It’s horrifying how many horror movies there are. I can’t think of one that I haven’t seen on this list already, unless you’re into REALLY bad “B” movies, in which case my ex-husband forced me to watch “Rubber”. I’m serious – really, really bad B movie about a tire that comes to life. If you watch it and actually like it, please let me know so I can tell him there is ONE other person on the planet that likes that movie. 😀

OH, also. Not a movie. But the “Hush” episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Those skeletal, floating men, and the crazy still-in-straightjacket guys? Terrifying. They did a really good job capturing the eerie sadness of a suddenly voiceless world. You don’t need to have been watching the show to enjoy “Hush.”

Little Evil on Netflix…. I laughed really hard at this one. Also – Crazyhead on Netflix is great for a laugh… (has nothing to do with actual craziness and a lot to do with demonic possession and bad language…)

I can’t do horror generally, it ramps my anxiety to 11. Hubs does and will probably have some great suggestions. For super creepy TV I’d go with Black Mirror on Netflix if you haven’t seen it. Pretty much any episode will do. As for films, the film that absolutely creeped me out the most in the theater was The Talented Mr. Ripley. Odd choice, I know. But I just sat there staring at the screen after the lights came up and I’ve never been able to watch it since. It’s a movie that proves that he worst monsters are humans and that we can’t tell them from the rest of us.

I am not a fan of horror movies, the usually depress me (all that death puts me into an existential funk). But, I do love Joss Whedon and how he can turn a trope upside down. So I recommend Cabin in the Woods. It’s one of my favorites.
And I also highly recommend Tucker and Dale Vs Evil – super cheesy and funny! Death is always better when we can laugh about it. Although I’m not recommending laughing at a funeral, that is culturally frowned upon… for some reason. I mean I get you shouldn’t laugh AT the dead, that’s not nice. Anywho, those are my recommendations. I hope you enjoy them. 🙂

I usually hate horror, but somehow I love 13 Ghosts(2001), Ghost Ship (2002), and House on Haunted Hill (1999). My husband says it’s because they’re terrible…I prefer campy. He votes for Amityville Horror (2005). For a psych thriller Identity(2003) is good and you should check out an indie film called Deepwater (2003) that was filmed in my home town:)

Scream is one of my favorite horror movies because it doesn’t take itself too seriously. Same with I Know What You Did Last Summer. The Exorcist and The Omen are classics that I saw when they originally came out in the theater and it took me YEARS before I was ready to watch them again. I agree about the “Hush” episode of Buffy. One of the BEST TV episodes ever done. Also Midnight, Texas. TV series, two seasons so far, lots of good stuff – from the same author who brought you True Blood.

I recently watched The Strangers on Netflix (Scott Speedman, Liv Tyler). Fairly original home invasion movie. DO NOT watch it when you are home alone. I did. :shudder:

1408 and Identity are two of my absolute favourite horrors! Bonus – they’re both John Cusack movies. I would eat that man alive which now that I think about it would fall under horror and porn, sooooooooo win-win!

Blair Witch. The over the top supernatural stuff doesn’t scare me, because I don’t buy it. But being tired, hungry, cold, and lost in the woods with somebody possibly after you? Yeesh. Being more realistic makes it way creepier for me. (Also, Fatal Attraction for realistic scariness.) And there’s a new season of American Horror Story on Netflix!

I think the Conjuring is one of the scariest I have seen, but I don’t really like scary movies unless there’s a touch of humor so I like Creepshow and also Goosebumps. Also I remember watching Alien as a kid and being scared to go to sleep for a week!

Ooh – Picnic and Carnival are on my October watchlist, too! Other top picks for this year include Hounds of Love (hulu), Raw (netflix), Thelma (hulu), the 1950s And then There Were None (amazon), the Lodger (filmstruck), Unsane (amazon), Kiss of the Damned (hulu), and a Dark Song (netflix). I’m also planning to catch Bad Times at the El Royale (Drew Goddard! I LOVE Cabin in the Woods) and the new Suspiria in theaters.

I have an odd one: I Am the Pretty Thing that Lives in the House. It was made by Osgood Perkins and music by Elvis Perkins, children of Psycho’s Norman Bates, Anthony Perkins. Ruth Wilson and Paula Prentiss star. It’s a creeepy time and needs to be watched in a quiet room.

Definitely “The Descent” and its sequel.
But I also love an old Richard Chamberlain film from the 1970s called “The Last Wave”. Although corny in places, it has a slow, creeping kind of horror that really got to me when I first saw it.

And, the original film “The Wickerman”. Not the remake, which in my opinion is a pale imitation of the original.

Hereditary. Just rented it yesterday and it scared the bejesus out of me.
Insidious. Scared me so deeply that when I accidentally phoned my sister who I was visiting, hearing her ringtone for me (Bali Hai) almost gave me a coronary.

The exorcism of Emily Rose, the Paranormal Activity movies and Buried. As long as you don’t mind being permanently scarred by movies, that are my top recommendations. Aside from that, Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street!

Burnt Offerings – nice choice! I live about ten miles away from the Dunsmuir House, which was in the movie. It is actually a very nice house with beautiful gardens, but ever since the movie, I always keep an eye on the attic window!

A couple if they haven’t already been suggested.
“Cabin in the Woods” has a real twisty turny psychological bend.
And less well known.
“Session 9” classic haunted building gone wrong, but with a twist at the end that has been forever burned into my mind.

My Favorites for this time of year: Tucker and Dale vs Evil, Practical Magic, certain episodes of Buffy or Angel (the creepiest being Hush), The Conjuring, Ghost Hunt (I watch the anime or read the manga), Nightmare Before Christmas, The Thing, Bell Book and Candle, and The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. I know most of them aren’t super creepy or exactly horror, but they are great for October. Plus I can get my family to watch most of them with me, which is even more fun.

Woman in Black is a good haunted house movie and it has Daniel Radcliffe/Harry Potter in it. 🙂 Also, Dial M for Murder is a great classic. The Ring terrified me as a teenager. The Descent is awesome too!

The most terrifying movie I’ve ever seen is Session 9. I haven’t watched it in 10 years, but I remember the whole thing haunting me for years. Not sure if I endorse it or if it holds up, I’m not ready to try it again!

If you can get your hands on it, there’s a movie from 1987 called “Trick Or Treat” and it stars Marc Price, who played Skippy on the show Family Ties. It has cameos by Gene Simmons and Ozzy Osbourne and it is CRAPTACULAR! You need this in your life!

So, I second the InnKeepers, It Follows, The Witch, Hereditary, Babadock, Halloween (the original), The Shining, The Descent, What We Do in the Shadows, The Wailing, Alien, You’re Next, Cabin in the Woods, and Happy Death Day.
Others on my watchlist for October are: We are all still here, Housebound, and The Invitation.

I cannot do horror or psychological thrillers. That said, I loved watching Buffy and own the whole series. I’ll add my vote for Hush (and not only because of Tara, though she is fantastic..) I’ll also suggest Serenity, the movie made from the short lived TV series Firefly. If you don’t know what Reavers are, you’ll either be fascinated to find out, or utterly horrified. If none of that works… uh… the most terrfying thing I can think of is the news. (Only partly kidding..)

Reading through all the suggestions was like a trip down memory land-if it was a dark and scary lane. You are all as twisted as I am. Praise the Lord! I agree with so many of the above…esp. Cabin in the Woods and The Shining. I didn’t think anyone else ever saw The Wave but I loved that when it came out. I noticed Frankenweenie is out now but it is also very sad, and what about Rocky Horror? That must be on the list!

HI! so I don’t have a suggestion I just wanted to say that I have read both of your books at least 10 times each, they are my favorites, and that’s saying a lot considering how much I love Harry Potter. I suggest them to EVERYONE. I’m 15, and I don’t usually have time to visit your blog because my rehearsal for the school play usually goes until 8:00 at night and the theatre program at my school is a HUGE deal, so I really don’t have time for anything. I just wanted to say that when I read your books it is the only time when I feel like anyone understands everything I’m going through with anxiety, depression and the like, and I really hope that someday you write another one, because these are the kinds of stories the world needs to hear, kind of messed up, but in the end, good. Thank you.

I haaaaaaaaate horror movies. I tried to make myself like them last October, when I watched a different classic horror film every weekend. But I don’t like them. Nope.

This year, I’m watching a different movie from the Mad Max franchise every weekend because I’ve never seen them..like any of them. And I know that as a fully qualified card carrying nerd girl, I need to fix this immediately.

You must watch ” The Haunting ” original with Julie Harris, ” The Changeling ” with George C Scott, and ” Rosemary’s Baby ” !!! Classics and scary as Hell !!! Ooooh also ” Rear Window ” a great Hitchcock murder/suspense movie !

Watch the wizard of Oz with pink Floyd’s dark side of the Moon. Volume down after the Lions third roar when you start the album. I haven’t watched it since I did this and it didn’t have captions or anything but that was 1998 and I’m still triggered.

Frailty, Shutter(Thai one), and Mindhunters- ladies love cool James at his best. Ooh, also The Victim (I love Thai horror), with a caveat. The last third of the movie is pretty shit, so when you hear Cut! in the movie, turn it off and treat it like the movie is complete.

The Blob, the 1958 version, was my introduction to horror movies and gave me nightmares for a decade. I don’t think anyone mentioned that one yet. I hear there is a remake, but since I never watched it I can’t vouch for the newer version. Scary movies creep me out and I avoid them like the plague. I’m so proud of you being able to watch them!

The People Under the Stairs. Seriously. This became an immediate October staple for me after my husband showed it to me the first time. It’s got a little taste of everything – suspense, laughs, oddities – but above all, the two main adult characters are just so deliciously batshit insane.

First you need to watch the sequel to the 1930’s Frankenstein then watch Young Frankenstein. It is a takeoff from the 1930’s movie. You can also watch them the other way round. Sometimes you just need comedy!

I actually don’t enjoy horror, but watched the “Woman in Black” as a play in London. It scared me badly, but even scared the the kids who like that kind of thing. A couple years ago it came out as a movie and I couldn’t be in the same room when the commercial came on.

I second Tucker and Dale Versus Evil and The Conjuring, coming from someone who spooks easily. I’ll also add Gay Jesus for good measure–a bizarre and offensive cheap horror that is exactly what you’d imagine based on the title.

A couple of obscure oldies from Simone Signoret: from the ‘50’s Diabolique (French but it’s
available dubbed) and from the late ‘60’s, ‘Games’ where Simone joins James Caan and
Katherine Ross. Both are psychological thrillers with some serious twists and popcorn
pitching moments. Diabolique has been redone a number of times but the original is truly
untouchable.

You gotta follow up Shaun of the Dead with the rest of the trilogy! Hot Fuzz (doesn’t get enough credit) and Worlds End (the weakest of the three). I would add: Black Sheep (New Zealand), Seoul Station (the prequel to Train to Busan), Rainbow and the Serpent, Pontypool, Dead Snow isn’t bad. There is always Planet Terror for some good old fashioned Austin area ‘hey I know where that is’ factor in your zombie movie.

When I was a kid in the 70’s I watched a short film called “Amelia” as part of the Trilogy of Terror. I had nightmares about that little african doll that came to life. When the internet started being a ‘thing’, I remember looking up “scary movie african doll” and was able to find it on youtube. It definitely wasn’t as scary as I’d remembered but would recommend it due to the cheese-factor.

Carnival of Souls needs to be watched through the Rifftrax site. In fact, they’ve got a ton of scary movies you can watch on Amazon Prime for free that end up hilarious.

Other favorites:
The Others
The Woman in Black
The Underworld series, most especially Rise of the Lycons
Interview with the Vampire
Queen of the Damned
The Ring
The Exorcist is still hands down, the scariest movie ever made
The original It miniseries
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Bad Samaritan (is the scariest psychological thriller I’ve seen in years and frankly, other than The Ring and Exorcist, NOTHING scares me.)
Lost Boys (only the first one)
Fright Night with Colin Farrell and David Tennant
Only Lovers Left Alive
Crimson Peak
Let the Right One In
Legend (Tim Curry’s devil is scary AF)
House on Haunted Hill with Vincent Price

And if you need a pallet cleanser: What We Do in the Shadows is the funniest horror movie ever.

Duel (1971, Spielberg’s first movie. Guy chased on lone road by crazy truck driver.)
Jaws (1975–not horror exactly, but scary and always good for a repeat viewing.)
Happy Death Day (2017) was great. Great script, really well acted and a lot of fun.

Oh, wait, and The Hidden! Kyle Maclachlan as an alien assisting Michael Nouri in hunting another alien. And Hysterical, starring the Hudson Brothers, in which people who get turned into zombies suddenly start wearing turtlenecks and saying “What difference does it make?” (I don’t know why I’m suggesting all these not-really-scary movies. I actually really like legitimately scary movies.)

Here are a couple that are very different from each other but I liked them both:
April Fool’s Day (1986)
The Woman in Black (2012)

My roommates were once talking about what movies scared them as children and they both thought the flying monkeys in the Wizard of Oz were terrifying. My choice was for scary childhood movie was Sound of Music. It had nazis and dancing nuns. :: shudder ::

I get scared pretty easy, like ‘it’s not fun anymore’ scared, so horror movies aren’t usually my thing. I do like some of the classics, though… Play Misty For Me is a totally underrated stalker-type movie. Of course The Shining, and Misery. Children of the Corn was pretty good (the original, most of the sequels suck imo). I really liked The Omen, but I like creepy-kid movies in general… Orphan was another great one in that category.

Stephen King did a B horror movie on purpose and it was hilarious. I vote for Sleepwalkers, of course it helped that there was a woman behind us in the theater that did not understand the humor AT ALL. She kept screaming, best movie out experience ever.

My older sister (she was about 13 at the time) watched Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte through the buttonhole of her coat. Like that was going to keep her safe! Ha! Also a good oldie… Whatever Happened to Baby Jane. Bette Davis was great, voice like nails on a chalkboard!

After watching the fantastic “Shaun of the dead,” the third film in the Cornetto series is a must watch- “The World’s End”. All of the “Cornetto Three Flavours Trilogy” films are awesome parodies. “The World’s End” isn’t just an excellent parody of apocalyptic, sci-fi horror, but it’s also simply full of meaning and symbology.
For anyone who’s already seen it, this analysis is almost shockingly awesome at revealing much of the hidden symbolism and the levels of meaning within the film. (Contains spoilers)https://youtu.be/yDNL137JDhE

…also, I can’t handle much real horror, (with jump scares and chainsaws…ick), but the best psychological horror is “Silence of the Lambs.”
Also, just saw “The House with a Clock in it’s Walls” at the theatre this weekend and it was fun. (A few plot holes we found afterwards, but still enjoyable.)

Lady in a Cage. But only if you like campy horror. Early 1960s, starring Olivia de Haviland as a wealthy woman tormented by evil hippies who break into her house where she is trapped in an elevator. James Caan in an early role as lead evil hippie.

If anyone is looking for a really good, family-friendly Halloween movie, may I suggest The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966, Don Knotts). I watched it again the other day and was reminded how great it is—filled with old pro character actors from the 60’s. It’s a classic!

Fright Night! Housemate and I watched it the other day because it has David Tennant, and ended up yelling at the screen about overuse of horror tropes and laughing the entire way through. Very much on the Shaun of the Dead end of the horror spectrum.

I just watched Lavendar and it was really good. American Fable was also really good. Oh and Hide and Seek.
Although I don’t know if they count, I love Into The Woods and Hocus Pocus and Coraline for some lighter fare : )

I can always go for “Poltergeist,” which still gives me the heebie-jeebies; but you can’t go wrong with “Shaun of the Dead”! I’d like to re-watch Jeff Goldblum’s “The Fly,” to see if I can get through it without laughing and be properly horrified (it did not help that I was watching it with a special-effects expert). I must always watch “Rocky Horror” during this month, though…

Dracula (1979) – a film in the gothic romantic tradition starring Frank Langella and remake of the 1931 film with Bela Lugosi.
Van Helsing (2004) – action film only loosely connected to the original Dracula;
Interview with the Vampire (1994)
Beetlejuice Release date March 30, 1988 Thirtieth anniversary!
Night of the Living Dead (1968) George A. Romero
and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016)

I’m glad you asked! I’m doing non-spoiler reviews of plenty of horror movies all of this month as I have done for the last few years. I just watched Terrifier on Netflix and it was fantastically creepy but also very gory. The Final Girls is a silly meta-horror movie about teens who get sucked into a campy seventies/eighties horror movie. It’s on Amazon, I think. 1922, a Stephen King adaptation, is also on Netflix and is super psychological.

I love Shaun of the Dead. Maybe throw in some old X Files episodes with monster. I was snowbound in the upstairs apartment of an old farmhouse watching the one where the guy can squeeze his body through any crack to come in and kill people when the local cops showed up at my door because neighbors reported suspicious activity on the property. It was also 1 in the morning. Young Frankenstein to lighten things up? The Grunge freaked me out. I think because they used less CGI in the effects. That noise though! https://possumscatsthingsgnawingatme.wordpress.com/2018/09/29/unicorns-vs-sharks/

As Above,So Below, so different, so scary! Therapy For A Vampire is a German horror comedy, subtitled in English. Again, so out of the ordinary. This is my first time being brave enough to comment here, because I am an anxiety-riddled bag of weirdness, but could not resist sharing new horror-ish goodies.

VERTIGO – Hitchcock. Not really hour but AMAZING psychological drama, with a killer twist. Also I love the original Carrie. The ring, It Follows, Babadook. Both Alien and Aliens – skip the other sequels. Just watched Silence of the Lambs again last night.

Does Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog count, or any of the Mystery Science Theaters count?
Stir of Echoes and The Changeling are the only two horror movies this fraidy cat can stand. And Carrie if she’s got all the lights on.
I recommend Euthanaughts and She Could Fly in comics if you get tired of TV. A friend of mine would recommend Farm Hand.

Something Wicked This Way Comes (made in the 1980’s, and based on the book that I’m sure you’ve read)
Hush (recently came out, about a deaf woman living by herself who has to deal with an intruder)
The Other (a 1970’s movie about twin brothers, really hard to find but worth the hunt)
The Exorcist III (the one with George C.Scott) has some of the scariest scenes I have ever seen in a movie

Things that scared the heck out of me as a kid:
Trilogy of Terror (1975) with Karen Black. The third story has a creepy Zuni Fetish doll that still haunts my nightmares
Prophecy (1979) about a mutant bear. My mom laughed so hard at my cousin and I jumping and screaming

The Prophecy movies with Christopher Walken are pretty good, too.
Fallen with Denzel Washington is a fantastic suspenseful creepfest.

A couple of more comedy/horror movies that I love are Zombeavers (worth it for the theme song alone) and Dead and Breakfast (with musically inclined zombies).

Are you open to campy horror or B-movies? I’d suggest Night of the Lepus or Killer Clowns From Outer Space… or it could be a good excuse to see if that movie about the killer car tire is all it’s cracked up to be.

I tend to avoid horror movies because they really get into my head and leave me freaked out for days afterwards – but I don’t mind the spoof ones that I can laugh at like “Shaun of the Dead” – I’ll definitely rewatch that one this month. There’s a couple of really good New Zealand ones along those lines: “What we do in the shadows” – a mockumentary about a sharehouse of vampires – and “Housebound.” I do however love Hitchcock’s movies: “The Birds”, “Psycho” and “Rear Window” are my favourites. I was really surprised to find out that Daphne Du Maurier wrote the story that the movie of “The Birds” is based on. Her novel “Rebecca” is gorgeously haunting and the black and white movie version is awesome. I’d also suggest “Crimson Peak”, “Pan’s Labyrinth” and “Sleepy Hollow.”

We don’t do much scary movie viewing since all the women folk are way too anxious
(I’m one of them). But stumbled across “Satan’s Little Helper” a couple of years ago. It’s a comedy sort of horror. Totally ridiculous. Last year my two high schoolers watched on YouTube and loved it. We are determined to bring dad into the fold this year.

Boo! I teach a film class called Reading the Movies, and I show the following scary movies (because they are horror multiplied by eek multiplied by I will shut my eyes and ears on that part…) Twilight Zone Episode: It’s a Good Life (scary kid); Amityville Horror (new one with clip of the original fly/priest scene; Psycho; Psycho Three; Alfred Hitchcock Presents Episode: Lamb to the Slaughter (oh my my!); The Shining; Silence of the Lambs (just when I thought I was done with sheep);

I don’t show these because they are too damn scary for ME: Sybil; It; Seven (can’t express how much fear I have of this one); Mommy Dearest; Carrie (original); Children of the Corn (“They want you too, Malachi); The Omen; Misery.

DUDE. I am so going to raid this list. What about campy? “Tucker and Dale vs Evil” or “Cabin in the Woods”? I thought “The Others” was excellent and very scary. And “Paranormal Activities” was so scary I seriously strained my bladder, because there was an attic door in the ceiling of the bathroom, and there was NO WAY I WAS GOING IN THERE.

I remember thinking that “The Frighteners” (horror/comedy with Michael J Fox) was a lot of fun and really underrated. I’d like to give that one another look since it was an early Peter Jackson movie. Curious to see how it holds up…

Shadow of the Vampire (2000) is a brilliant What If study on the making of the first big-hit vampire movie, Nosferatu. Event Horizon (1997) – sci fi psychological thriller-horror with some gore. In The Mouth of Madness (1994) still haunts me even though I’ve only seen it once; it’s a mind-trip of horror and brain-terror. Ironically, those last two (which have stuck with me forever despite only one viewing) both starred Sam Neill. I dunno. Dr Grant scares me? XD

It’s always a good idea to contrast the taste of terror with Halloween staples like Arsenic and Old lace or Hocus Pocus to remind us not to take anything too seriously. That said, there is a new film coming out this season entitled, “Teeth”. It’s about a woman with teeth in her vagina. The trailer made me giddy with delight. It sounds all sorts of awful and fantastic!

Here’s a couple lesser known ones:
Mute Witness (1995) about a makeup artist accidentally locked in her building after work, trying to escape a killer. Great movie.
and
My Bloody Valentine (1981 original). Haven’t seen it in a while, but I remember it being scary fun in that way that 1980’s horror movies are.

The Wolfen was a book my older sister made me read as a kid. I slept with a nightlight for a month after I read it. It was made into a 1981 crime/horror/paranormal movie but I never watched it. Couldn’t bring myself to.

If you can find it, Paper House is haunting and creative. Inland Empire is the scariest Lynch in my mind. And the first episode of the first season on Channel Zero is some of the best TV horror I’ve ever seen.

When A Stranger Calls-1979 version though, not the 2006 remake. I first watched this right about the time I started babysitting as a teenager and it definitely freaked me out a little but I loved it and have watched it over and over. Also, I love that you are watching Shaun of the Dead on the 6th, it’s another one of my favorites and you’re watching it on my birthday!

How long’s it been since you watched “The Sixth Sense” it’s on ye old NF and I just re-watched it to see if I still needed to put round finger-cages over my eyes. Made it through but still plenty stylish and scary.

Any of the Abbott & Costello monster movies
The Dark Secret of Harvest Home
Fall of the House of Usher with Vincent Price
Anything with Vincent Price
Night of the Living Dead
The Devil’s Advocate
The Omen movies
The Exorcist
The Exorcism of Emily Rose

So many comments: I can’t read them all (apologies for any double up)
I vote for The Babadook: it is terrifying and it stars Essie Davis, who also plays the wonderful Phryne Fisher (if you don’t know her, you simply MUST make her acquaintance (the books, by Kerry Greenwood, are much richer than the TV show)
Regarding Picnic at Hanging Rock, I’m not sure if you mean the 1970s film or the recent remake. Either way, the “ending” was released as a novelette years after the original book. Worth reading both.

The Strangers scared me silly. I grabbed the legs of my 2 friends that I was sitting in between at a really well earned jolt and left marks. Also, The Ring made me kick off my shoe in a theatre because I was scared. And FWIW, the two-part episodes of Doctor Who’s The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit were deeply unsettling. I’m kind of a horror chicken.

Nosferatu was really creepy for me. I think the fact that it’s a silent movie just adds to the creepiness. If you’re in the mood for something cheesy, What We Do In the Shadows is a spoof on the whole vampire/werewolf genre.

Glad to see Paranormal Activity in here. The sequels may be superfluous given the quantity of decent movies available and limited days in the month. Really I think October needs to absorb September; it just makes sense.

13 Ghosts. Or the Swedish film: Let the Right One In.
Note: If you watch The Shining, it has to be the Jack Nicholson version. And if anyone suggests The Babbadook DO NOT WATCH IT!! (I get the heebie jeebies just typing the title)

Suicide Kings is more of a psychological suspense thriller, but it is AMAZING. It has an all-star cast (Christopher Walken, Dennis Leary, Johnny Galecki, Jay Mohr, Sean Patrick Flannery, and Jeremy Sisto),a simple premise, and twists that keep you guessing until the end. Throughout, you keep changing your mind on who really is the “good guy” here. I couldn’t stop thinking about this movie for DAYS after I first saw it. It really sticks with you.

So many great recommendations here! Silence of the Lambs, Rosemary’s Baby, Se7en, and The Shining are the pinnacles of the genre for me.

And, as a few other commenters have listed above, I was pleasantly surprised the 2009 movie The House of the Devil and by the 2015 The Invitation. THotD is excellent for horror fans b/c it replicates the feel of 70s/80s horror (they filmed it using technology and techniques from that era) and has a lot of throwback elements, as well as great 80s setting and music. And The Invitation is embodies the “slow burn” as well as “character-driven weirdness,” as you say.

If you haven’t seen The Witch yet, you are in for a treat. There’s really been a resurgence in great horror films recently, and I love it. Yay October!

I wish I could enjoy horror films. I used to at least be able to cover eyes and plug my ears but that ended this year. 🙁 I will say that “Stir of Echoes” was decent. I don’t think Hocus Pocus counts. Although when I was kid- “Something wicked this way comes” used to scare me. lol I’m kinda a pansy. lol

The Others
Dead Again
and Bound (which isn’t “halloween” at all, but does get my heart racing)
those are my favorites.
For fun I like to throw in campy “halloween” type movies that are not actually scary; like Young Frankenstein and Love at First Bite.

I am very much NOT a horror movie person. I’m close enough to the experience of “ghosts/demons/etc” in real life, so no need to feed the fear. Also, the brain has no way to differentiate between what you’re seeing on the screen and what’s actually happening to you, so to amp up my nervous system like that is not my cup of tea. Stick me in with the happy bunnies and sunshine and rainbows crowd. However, I will say that Minority Report (Tom Cruise from 2002) was close enough to a horror movie that it has disturbed me these past 16 years as I’ve watched all the technology in that movie jump off the screen into everyday existence. How long until the media announces someone accused of a crime they haven’t yet committed? Hmm.

Before I Wake ( 2016) and Hush ( 2016) both are very suspenseful/ eerie and you can find both on Netflix. Even if you don’t add them to your list to watch this month ( because I am late to the party and you have a multitude of suggestions) I hope that you still find time to watch them ( if you haven’t seen them already)

“Mandy” (rented it on Amazon). Best Nicholas Cage movie ever, possible exception of Moonstruck. (But since Cher is the star, not quite the same thing). Very gory. Two words – Chainsaw Fight. I read it described as a heavy metal concept album in film form, and that’s spot on.

Second nomination for “What We Do In Shadows”. It’s comedy/horror in the guise of a documentary.

Tremors! From 1990. How can you resist a campy horror flick that begins with Kevin Bacon peeing into a canyon and features giant murderous worms? Tremors also includes Reba McEntire and Michael Gross as survivalists fighting the invaders with their entire arsenal screaming about how the worms “broke into the WRONG GODDAMN REC ROOM!”

A lot of what is recommended isn’t in line with the genre you said you liked. Based on your description, I would recommend The Pretty Thing that Lives In the House, Devil’s Backbone and/or Orphanage (both Guillermo del Toro), Rec, It Follows, and Tale of Two Sisters.

I would love it if at the end of October you would post the movies you watched!!

“Horrors of the Black Museum” (1959) scared the piss out of me when I was 11 years old. Our dad used to take my brother and me to every horror film that came out, and this one ruined both of us. If we slept at all afterwards, we slept sitting up, and to this day I still haven’t looked thru a pair of binoculars. Now I understand that it’s kind of a campy movie, but after almost 60 years, I still have absolutely no desire to watch it again. Neither does my brother.

Also “Eye of the Beholder” on Twilight Zone (1960). We convinced our elderly babysitter to let us stay up and watch it–and then spent the night crying and frightened out of our wits.

Identity with John Cusack, Amanda Peet. I like the psychological twist in it. Also, 1408 was kinda good (another John Cusack.) I’m not some crazed John Cusack fan really, just all my other suggestions were already spoken for.

“It” by Stephan King. And any of the “Saw” movies. Oh, and also “The Exorcist.” I couldn’t drive home from my friend’s house without constantly checking my back seat after I watched just a little part of it. Apparently I have a great fear of becoming possessed.

I don’t know why but these are some of my MUST watch October movies: Close Encounters of the Third Kind, any Harry Potter Movie, ET, Goonies, The Shining, Hocus Pocus, Beetle Jucie, The Witches, The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, Gremlins, The Lost Boys, Poltergeist…. just to name a few 😊

The Others
The Shining
The Omen
Alien
Aliens
Altered States
Let The Right One In (the original, not the U.S. remake)
Brainstorm
Carrie
Coma
Jaws
The Sixth Sense
The Ring
The Fly (the Goldblumiest)
The Village
Children of the Corn
Rosemary’s Baby

I just want to say I love you Jenny for posting this. I am taking care of my husband who had multiple surgeries yesterday-UPPP, sepotoplasty, and a paploma removal in the back of his throat. This post is going to be good fun for the hubs and I to refer to while he recovers for the next few weeks. Thank you!!!

Don’t Ask me. The scariest I can do is “Young Frankenstein” and “Abbott & Costello meet the Wolfman”. I get a little creeped out but enjoy the music watching the latest version of “The Phantom of the Opera”–part horror, part musical, part comedy (Minnie Driver!)!

If you don’t mind a high tension movie (with some gore) and subtitles, I cannot recommend “High Tension” highly enough (in French, set in rural Quebec, but with English subtitles.) You can make a nest on the couch if you want to watch it, but you’ll only need the edge of the seat!

Ok, I had never seen Burnt Offerings before but that was creepy and campy! I apologize but when Bette Davis became bed ridden didn’t she look like the alien in Alien Autopsy?
The Witch was frightening! I am marred for life!

Newer pick: I finally watched “Under the Skin” (Netflix) and holey moley what an excellent creepfest it was!! The mumbly dialogue made me use captions, but the chit chat didn’t clarify anything anyhow.

The Orphanage (Spanish: El Orfanato) is a 2007 Spanish horror film and the debut feature of Spanish filmmaker J. A. Bayona. The film stars Belén Rueda as Laura, Fernando Cayo as her husband, Carlos, and Roger Príncep as their adopted son Simón. The plot centers on Laura, who returns to her childhood home, an orphanage. Laura plans to turn the house into a home for disabled children, but after an argument with Laura, Simón goes missing.

The film’s script was written by Sergio G. Sánchez in 1996 and brought to the attention of Bayona in 2004. Bayona asked his long-time friend, director Guillermo del Toro, to help produce the film and to double its budget and filming time. Bayona wanted the film to capture the feel of 1970s Spanish cinema; he cast Geraldine Chaplin and Belén Rueda, who were later praised for their roles in the film.

The film opened at the Cannes Film Festival on May 20, 2007, where it received a standing ovation lasting more than 10 minutes. It received critical acclaim from audiences in its native Spain, winning seven Goya awards. On its North American release, The Orphanage was praised by English-speaking critics, who described the film as well directed and well acted, and noted the film’s lack of “cheap scares”

The Houses October Built. This is a super low budget Netflix Horror film. It started as an actual documentary about the scariest haunted houses in the country. Friends go on a trip to explore them. Part way through production of this movie the creators of paranormal activity reached out to them and with this collaboration it became a fictional movie with real footage and some factual information about all of these haunted houses. Thats exactly what makes it scary. The element of like how much of this movie is real and how many of these people are real creepy people

I guess I’m late to the party, but here are 2 I’ve never completely recovered from:
1. Seizure! 1974, Jonathan Frid, Herve Villichaize, directed & written by Oliver Stone. Author finds his recurring nightmares coming to life. 2. The Devils. 1971, Vanessa Redgrave, Oliver Stone, Witch-hunts and hysteria in 17th century France, from a novel by Aldoux Huxley. Both are hard to find, though.

I’m a more funny-than-scary-but-still-slightly-creepy fan so every year part of our October movies are:
The Ghost & Mr. Chicken
Arsenic & Old Lace
Sleepy Hallow

For anxiety inducing he-knows-that-we-know stuff “Rear Window” is great & the modern version “Disturbia” is pretty good, along with Tom Hanks highjinks in “The Burbs”. “The Quiet Place” is good. “Death trap” is pyschological fun with the bonus of both Christopher Reece & Michael Caine. While a kid’s movie, “The House With The Clock In It’s Walls” is good fun with some creepy to it, but pretty PG. And on the PG front, you’ll do no better than “Wallace & Gromit’s Curse of The Were-Rabbit”! I know, I’m a wimp. Lol. I’m a “It’s the Great Pumkpin, Charlie Brown” gal at heart.

I was so excited to see the very first comment recommended Happy Birthday to Me! One of my all time favorites! So I’m seconding that. Also, you can’t go wrong with Vincent Price–maybe an Edgar Allan Poe. My brother and I always loved The Pit and the Pendulum. For other options: https://www.imdb.com/list/ls020636791/.

Hi Jenny! I love this blog, because I also have severe anxiety and yet I obsessively watch movies about demons, which scare the shit out of me. I think I do it because it’s the only time my anxiety feels valid. It pulls me out of my own obsessive worrying about my life and provides a real platform to express those feelings in a healthy way. 😉

Halloween is my fav of all time. I also liked night of the comet, binge watch the paranormal activity movies in order. it’s alive and house on haunted hill (the original). If you like Zombies go check out the walking dead walkers team for the heart walk in Austin. We walk as zombies…..

I recently watched the movie Annihilation. I wasnt a big fan of the book, but I thought the movie was great! There was one scene that as I was watching it I thought, “Well, this is going pop up in my head when it’s dark and I’m alone for a long time!”

I have watched many of the movies suggested here – I’ve always been a sucker for horror movies and they usually don’t bother me. Two exceptions: Sinister and The Conjuring (but only the Annabelle part – I won’t watch her spin off movie!).

Late to the game, and I don’t like horror, BUT you should know about snagfilms. They have free streaming films – an odd mix of things really. But they do have a horror category as well as cult classics: https://www.snagfilms.com/categories

Thought you would appreciate free horror options. Seems there is some pretty odd things in here.

I didn’t read through all of the comments yet so forgive me if these have already been mentioned. First and foremost I am SO FREAKING EXCITED for the new Halloween to come out. I seriously screamed at the previews in the theater. Definitely go see that. Otherwise, The Purge is just about my favorite series of all time in this genre. Seriously can’t get enough. Also, The Strangers scared the bejesus out of me. I lived outside of town when I watched it at home and it was pitch black outside. I was terrified to look at the window after dark for a long time (or I still might be who knows). I haven’t yet found the courage to watch the second one. Also The Conjuring was super creepy and ditto on not yet watching the sequel. And then basically any slasher film will win my heart. Nothing makes me happier then a crazed maniac stalking unsuspecting people. And zombies. Oh zombies. I guess maybe you can tell by the length of this post (if you are even still reading) that horror is my fav fav fav genre of movies.

Cronos, or please watch any of Guillermo Del Tori’s triptych of horror Cronos-Devil’s Backbone-Pan’s Labyrinth.
The Korean film based on and titled Hansel and Gretel is beautiful and disturbing, and I will forever stan the Alien and Resident Evil houses for kick-arse women heroes.

The Burning Moon (1992) It’s German (subtitled though). HOWEVER, if you don’t like splattergore I WOULD NOT recommend. Because it’s seriously forked up y’all. I saw it when I was 17 (24 years ago, don’t ask HOW the video store let me rent THAT). But if you want pure psychological gore filled movies where the antagonist gets his comeuppance…yeah.

Grabbers is excellent. Probably my favorite horror comedy and some of the best composite work I think I’ve ever seen. I enjoy both of these, but someone saw The Traveler with Val Kilmer and thought, like I did, that they could definitely make a better movie than this. Except unlike me, they did make that movie and it’s Let Us Prey.

If you like The Host (Rotten Tomatoes 93%), try The Wailing (RT 99%). The Thing (with Kurt Russell) (RT 83%) is a classic, World War Z (RT 66%) and I Am Legend (RT 69%) are a couple of go-to zombie flicks. The Autopsy of Jane Doe (RT 86%) is pretty creepy.

Hereditary is sheer horror. Also, Veronica on Netflix is disturbing. “Ringu”, the Japanese version of “The Ring” is a million times scarier than the Hollywood version and I also agree about High Tension.

The Conjuring mostly because anything that says “based on a true story” in New England has got me instantly hooked. And it was well done.

The latest It is a surprising new favorite of mine. I don’t usually like horror movies with clowns, excessive force or creeping on children, but this movie felt like I was watching the agonies, but VERY rated R. I also thought the casting and setting of the latest adaptation of the novel was great.

I’d like to double dip on Cabin In the Woods if you haven’t seen it already. Joss Whedon horror? Sold.
Also, you might want to look at purchasing a horror-themed RiffTrax (roughly $9.99 for a cheesy movie with full comentary like Shatner’s Kingdom of the Spiders or Psycho II or $2.99/$3.99 for a MP3 to sync with a mainstream movie you already own. I like the Halloween comentary and Drag me to Hell, if those are ones you already own) because they are hilarious and easy to stream.

For fun:
Birdemic (shock and Terror)
Zoombies
Zombeavers
Maggie (I know Arnold, but a different take on zombie)
Don’t Breathe
Halloween 3 (and tell me you don’t have that song in your head for days after)
Autopsy of Jane Doe
Literally I could go on and on and on.

We do the October horror-fest too! My significant other will watch horror all year round, but we have an agreement that in October I will watch whatever he puts in front of me, as long as he has seen it first and can confirm that none of my Absolute No elements are involved. The ones I love are invariably very girl-centered, so I think you will like them too.

It Follows – sexually transmitted death curse stalks teenage girl
Mama – two feral little girls are raised by a vengeful spirit, well meaning family try to take them in, it doesn’t go well
You’re Next – A slasher is stalking the members of a family reunion, but nobody planned on the survivalist girlfriend who’s fighting back
Stoker – Creepy brother reappears after Nicole Kidman’s husband dies and kind of moves in on the family. Nicole Kidman’s daughter, it turns out, it much much creepier.
The Hunger – sexiest vampire movie, features David Bowie, Katherine Deneuve and Susan Sarandon in various configurations of love triangle, plus Peter Murphy in the best opening ever
10 Cloverfield Lane – claustrophobic psychological horror that will make you very uncomfortable as a woman for the major danger vibes of scary controlling men, but happy ending!
Darling – very INTENSE black and white horror film that’s sort of a gender-flipped version of The Shining, gets very gory.
Pulse (aka Kairo) – Japanese horror, more sad than scary just to warn you, but highly creepy
The Craft – if you are the same age as me you have seen this movie 200 times already, because you were a teenager when it came out and it was your favorite movie ever
Brahm Stoker’s Dracula – shut up I love it SHUT UP
Invasion of the Body Snatchers – 70’s version FTW.
The Haunting – original version only. Get a good sound system for this, it’ll be worth it.
The Others – Nicole Kidman again. Her husband’s away at war and she’s alone in a giant house with her two albino children who can’t be touched by light and they might be haunted?
The Invitation – a man’s ex-wife invites him to a very special dinner party.
Jennifer’s Body – this got a lot of grief when it came out but I’m seeing a lot of people coming around to it now. Which is great! This movie rules!
The One I Love – Married couple goes on a retreat that gets very, very weird.
This House Has People In It – look for this on youtube. or maybe don’t. it kind of fucked up my brain a little bit. Definitely don’t watch Unedited Footage Of A Bear, which is by the same guy, and has an entirely too realistic depiction of depersonalization/dissociation that disturbed the hell out of me.

Prince of Darkness
9th Gate
All of the Halloween, Hellraiser, Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th movies.
Yes, some will be corny but not all. Plus you’ll need a little comic relief at some point- enjoy!!.

“Let me In.” A lovely little tale of a kid struggling after his parents divorce and getting bullied at school and trying to keep going meanwhile another kid has a father who might just be a serial killer and she doesn’t have any shoes even in the snow and they become friends through the weirdness. Until more weirdness …